JP2008250379A - Information providing program, information providing device, and information providing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing program for providing information on an option device mountable on equipment such as a printer to make it easy for a user to understand a mountable option device which has not been mounted. <P>SOLUTION: This information providing program for making an information providing device execute processing of providing information on the option device mountable on the object equipment makes the information providing device execute: a process for acquiring information on the mounting situations of the option device in the object equipment, and for determining the current configurations of the object equipment including the mounted option device and the non-mounted option device being the mountable option device which has not been mounted; and a process for displaying the appearance image of the object equipment in mounting the non-mounted option device to a user so that the current configurations and the non-mounted option device can be discriminated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a program for providing information related to an optional device that can be mounted on a device such as a printer, and in particular, information that can provide information in an easy-to-understand manner to a user regarding an optional device that is not mounted at that time. It relates to provided programs.

  Generally, for devices such as printers and copiers, optional devices that can be optionally attached are prepared. For example, in the case of a printer, a plurality of types of memories, HDD units, and a plurality of types of paper feeding devices having different capacities are prepared as optional devices.

  For example, in the case of a printer, the provision of information about these optional devices to the user is performed by a printer driver provided in the host device. Specifically, when bi-directional communication is possible between the host device and the printer, the printer driver obtains information on the installed optional device from the printer, and specifies the name of the installed optional device. Display in list format. If the two-way communication is not possible, the user inputs the installation status of the optional device to the host device and sets it in the printer driver, and the set information is similarly displayed in a list format. This information provision is not displayed on the basic setting screen for setting and displaying basic items among the user interface screens prepared for setting various conditions related to printing on the printer. It was displayed on the screen for setting and displaying items.

Information provision regarding such an optional device is also described in, for example, the following Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3. In Patent Document 1, the mounting status of an optional device is indicated by an appearance image. In Patent Document 2, the content to be displayed is changed depending on the mounting status of the optional device. Obtaining printer configuration information is disclosed.
Japanese Patent No. 3017605 Japanese Patent No. 3740216 JP 2004-21400 A

  However, in the above-described conventional information providing method regarding an optional device, emphasis is placed on the optional device that is currently installed, and information on optional devices that are not attached can be easily understood by the user. Was not provided.

  In this way, information is not provided in an easy-to-understand manner for optional devices that are not installed, so it is inconvenient for users to pursue efficient and convenient use of optional devices for their printers and other devices. For this reason, it is difficult to bear the motivation to purchase a new option device, and this is a factor that misses the opportunity to sell the option device for the side providing a device such as a printer.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is a program for providing information about an optional device that can be mounted on a device such as a printer, and provides the user with easily understandable information about the optional device that is not mounted at that time. It is to provide an information providing program that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information providing program that causes an information providing apparatus to execute information providing processing related to an optional device that can be attached to a target device. The step of acquiring information related to the mounting status of a device and determining the current configuration of the target device including the mounted optional device and an unmounted optional device that is the mounted optional device that is not mounted And causing the information providing apparatus to execute a step of displaying to the user an external image of the target device when the unmounted optional device is mounted so that the current configuration and the unmounted optional device can be identified. It is.

  Furthermore, in the above-described invention, a preferable aspect is characterized in that an image representing the optional device mounted inside the target device is displayed together with the displayed appearance image.

  Furthermore, in the above-described invention, a preferred aspect is characterized in that an image image representing each of the unmounted optional devices is further displayed in the vicinity of the displayed external image.

  Further, in the above-described invention, a preferable aspect is that an image image representing the installed optional device is further displayed in the vicinity of the displayed external image so as to be distinguishable from an image image representing the unmounted optional device. It is characterized by being.

  Furthermore, in the above-mentioned invention, a preferred aspect is that whether or not an image representing the unmounted optional device can be mounted by adding the unmounted optional device to the current configuration. It is displayed so that it can be identified.

  Furthermore, in the above invention, a preferred aspect is that the information providing apparatus provides an interface screen for a user to perform a setting operation on the target device, and includes a screen configured from a basic setting screen and a detailed setting screen. The appearance image is displayed on the basic setting screen.

  Further, in the above invention, a preferred aspect is characterized in that the target device is a printer, and the information providing device is a host device of the printer or the printer.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information providing apparatus that provides information related to an optional device that can be attached to a target device. Information acquisition means for determining a current configuration of the target device including the installed optional device and an unmounted optional device that is not mounted and is a mounted optional device; And an information display unit that displays an external image of the target device when the mounted optional device is mounted to the user so that the current configuration and the unmounted optional device can be identified.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information providing method in an information providing apparatus that provides information related to an optional device that can be attached to a target device. Obtaining information on the mounting status of the optional device in a device, and the current configuration of the target device including the mounted optional device, and an unmounted optional device that is the mounted optional device that is not mounted And a step in which the information providing device displays to the user an external image of the target device when the unmounted optional device is mounted so that the current configuration and the unmounted optional device can be identified. And having

  Further objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments of the invention described below.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, such an embodiment does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In the drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals or reference symbols.

  FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram according to an embodiment of an information providing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The host computer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an information providing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and the driver for the printer 2 connected to the apparatus is not installed at that time in the basic setting screen of print settings. When the device is mounted, the appearance image of the printer 2 is displayed so that the configuration at that time and the unmounted optional device can be identified, so that the user can easily provide information about the optional device. is there.

  In this embodiment, the device to which the optional device is mounted is the printer 2 in FIG. 1, and the host computer 1 provides information about the optional device to the user.

  The host computer 1 can be composed of a general personal computer. As shown in FIG. 1, the hardware includes a CPU 11, a RAM 12, an HDD 13, an interface 16 with external devices, a display device 14 such as a monitor, and the like. An input device 15 such as a keyboard and a mouse is provided.

  The printer 2 is a laser printer as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, the hardware of the printer 2 is an interface 21 with the host computer 1, CPU 22, RAM 23, ROM 24, HDD 25, printer engine 26, operation panel 30, And a system bus 31 and the like. The printer engine 26 is a part that executes print processing on a print medium, and includes a paper feeding device 27 such as a paper cassette for supplying the print medium, a print / fixing mechanism 28 that executes the print process, and after printing. A paper discharge device 29 for discharging the print medium.

  As described above, several optional devices can be attached to the printer 2, and optional devices are prepared for the memory such as the RAM 23, the HDD 25, the paper feeding device 27, and the paper discharging device 29.

  FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the host computer 1 and the printer 2. As shown in FIG. 2, from a functional viewpoint, the host computer 1 includes an operating system unit 100, an application unit 110, and a printer driver unit 120.

  The application unit 110 is a part that issues a request for printing a created product by the printer 2, for example, which is configured by text creation software.

  The printer driver unit 120 is a driver for the printer 2 and includes a driver program stored in the HDD 13 or the like and a CPU 11 that executes processing according to the program. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer driver unit 120 receives a print request from the user interface unit 121 having a print setting unit 122 for the user to perform various settings of the printer 2 such as print conditions and the application unit 110. A print processing unit 127 is provided that generates print data in accordance with the print conditions, transmits the print data to the printer 2, and issues a print instruction.

  In addition, the printer driver unit 120 is provided with a function for providing information related to an optional device of the printer 2, and in order to realize the function, as shown in FIG. 2, an option information setting unit 123 and an option of the user interface unit 121 are provided. An information display unit 124, an option information acquisition unit 125, and an option information storage unit 126 are provided.

  The option information setting unit 123 is a part that allows the user to input information regarding the mounting state of the optional device of the printer 2, and the option information acquiring unit 125 acquires information about the mounting state of the optional device from the printer 2. It is a part that executes processing such as. The option information storage unit 126 stores the option information acquired by the option information setting unit 123 and the option information acquisition unit 125, and the option information display unit 124 stores the option information stored in the option information storage unit 126. This is the part that displays information to the user. There is a feature in the information providing process regarding the optional device performed in these four parts, and the specific contents thereof will be described later. The program part responsible for the functions of these four parts corresponds to an information providing program to which the present invention is applied.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the printer 2 includes an option information management unit 200, a print control unit 210, and a print execution unit 220 from a functional viewpoint. The print control unit 210 is a so-called controller, receives print data transmitted from the host computer 1, performs predetermined data processing, and then transfers the data to the print execution unit 220 to give a print instruction. The print execution unit 220 corresponds to the printer engine 26 and executes print processing on a print medium in accordance with the print instruction.

  The option information management unit 200 is a part that manages information about optional devices that can be mounted on the printer 2, detects the mounting status of the optional devices at a predetermined timing, and uses the information on the mounted optional devices. It holds certain installed option information 201 and non-installed option information 202 that is information of option devices that are not installed. Then, in response to a request from the option information acquisition unit 125 of the host computer 1, these pieces of information are transmitted. The mounted option information 201 and the unmounted option information 202 are held in the RAM 23 or the like, and the option information management unit 200 is realized by the operation of the CPU 22 according to a program stored in the ROM 24 as a part of the controller. Further, the unmounted option information 202 may not be held.

  The host computer 1 and the printer 2 according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration are characterized in providing information regarding optional devices to the user in the host computer 1, and the specific contents thereof will be described below. .

  The printer driver unit 120 prepares a setting screen for the user to make various settings for the printer 2. The setting screen includes a basic setting screen for setting basic items and detailed items. A plurality of detailed setting screens for setting items and special items are prepared, and there is a feature in providing information related to the optional device performed by the basic setting screen. Therefore, display processing of the basic setting screen will be described below. In the basic setting screen, for example, the current setting content can be viewed and the setting can be changed for items such as print quality, paper size, and paper type. In the detailed setting screen, items such as layout at the time of printing and page decoration can be set.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure for displaying the basic setting screen. First, the user gives an instruction to display the basic setting screen. Specifically, a property menu for the printer 2 is selected from the print request screen provided by the application unit 110, or a print setting menu is selected from the user interface screen provided by the printer driver unit 120. By performing operations such as these, it is possible to instruct display of the basic setting screen.

  The display instruction of the basic setting screen is received by the user interface unit 121 of the printer driver unit 120 (step S1), and then it is determined whether or not to acquire information from the printer 2 (step S2). Here, the printer driver unit 120 may determine whether or not to acquire the information according to the contents set in advance by the user, or bidirectional communication between the host computer 1 and the printer 2. If it is possible, it may be determined that the information acquisition is performed, and if bi-directional communication is not possible, it may be determined that the information acquisition is not performed.

  If it is determined in this determination that information acquisition from the printer 2 is to be performed (Yes in step S2), the printer driver unit 120 transmits a status request to the printer 2 (step S3). The status request is an inquiry about the current status of the printer 2, and the printer 2 returns various status information to the host computer 1 in response to the request. The status information includes the above-described installed option information 201 and unmounted option information 202 held by the option information management unit 200 of the printer 2.

  The option information acquisition unit 125 receives the mounted option information 201 and the unmounted option information 202 of the transmitted status information (step S4). Then, from these pieces of information, the option information acquisition unit 125 determines the current configuration of the printer 2 (the basic configuration and the installed optional device) and the optional device that can be installed (not yet installed). (Installation option device) is determined (step S5).

  Here, when the mounted option information 201 and the unmounted option information 202 are received, the current configuration and the unmounted option device are determined based on the information, and the determination is performed as the information is transmitted. On the other hand, as described above, when the non-installed option information 202 is not held in the printer 2 and only the installed option information 201 is received, the current configuration is determined from the information, and the printer driver unit is preliminarily determined. The list of all option devices that can be mounted on the printer 2 held in the printer 120 is compared with the list of option devices that are currently mounted indicated in the mounted option information 201 to determine an unmounted option device. To do.

  Next, the option information storage unit 126 stores the option information obtained by receiving and determining the information in the registry of the operating system unit 100 (step S6). Specifically, the presence / absence of attachment to the printer 2 is recorded for all option devices that can be attached to the printer 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the stored information.

  In the table shown in FIG. 4, “ID” at the left end indicates identification information of an optional device that can be attached to the printer 2, and “Option Device” in the second column shows the name of the optional device that can be attached to the printer 2. In the third column, “installation presence / absence” indicates whether each optional device is installed in the printer 2. Such information is stored in the registry of the operating system unit 100. In the storage process of the option information, the information about “installation presence / absence” is updated according to the mounting status at that time.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the 256 MB memory and HDD unit are installed in the printer 2, and the first-stage paper cassette and the second-stage paper cassette are not installed in the printer 2, that is, are not installed in the optional device. It shows that there is.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that information acquisition from the printer 2 is not performed (No in step S2), the option information acquisition unit 125 is stored in the registry of the operating system unit 100 at that time. The option information is read (step S7), and the current configuration of the printer 2 and the unmounted option device are determined according to the read information (step S8). That is, in the stored option information, an option device that is attached to the printer 2 is included in the current configuration, and an option device that is not attached is determined to be an unattached option device.

  The stored option information can be updated by the user as appropriate, for example, when bi-directional communication is not possible between the host computer 1 and the printer 2. Specifically, when the user changes the mounting status of the optional device, such as when a new optional device is mounted on the printer 2, an operation for setting the mounting status at a predetermined location prepared on the detailed setting screen described above. The above update can be performed by performing. At this time, the option information setting unit 123 updates the option information stored in the register so as to match the latest mounting status based on the information input by the user operation.

  In this way, when the current configuration and the unmounted option device are determined in any case (S5, S8), the option information acquisition unit 125 next selects the option device mounted at that time. It is determined whether or not an optional device can be additionally mounted without being removed (step S9). Specifically, the determination is made based on the exclusive information of each option device held by the host computer 1. This exclusive information can be stored in the registry or the like of the operating system unit 100 by being linked with the above-described “installation presence / absence” information.

  “Exclusive information” at the right end of FIG. 4 exemplifies the exclusive information. In the example shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that one of the memory (memory 256MB) and the HDD unit can be mounted regardless of the mounting of other optional devices. As for the paper feeding device, only one of the first-stage paper cassette and the second-stage paper cassette can be mounted.

  Therefore, in FIG. 4, the first-stage paper cassette (l) cannot be installed when the second-stage paper cassette (m) is installed. In other words, if the first-stage paper cassette (1) is installed. Since the two-stage paper cassette (m) cannot be mounted, the “exclusive information” is “(m)” indicating the two-stage paper cassette. Similarly, the “exclusive information” of the two-stage paper cassette (m) is “(l)” indicating the first-stage paper cassette (l).

  The option information acquisition unit 125 determines whether or not each unmounted option device can be added to the current mounting state based on such “exclusive information” and the above-described current “mounting information” information. to decide. In the example shown in FIG. 4, it is determined that addition is possible for the first-stage paper cassette (l) and the second-stage paper cassette (m) because the option installation indicated in the exclusive information is not installed.

  In FIG. 4, only one type of memory can be mounted, but this is only an example, and a plurality of types of memory may be mounted simultaneously.

  Next, the option information acquisition unit 125 determines an unmounted option device to be displayed in the appearance image (step S10). As described above, the host computer 1 displays the external image of the printer 2 when the unmounted optional device is mounted on the basic setting screen. Here, the unmounted optional device included in this external image is paraphrased. For example, an unmounted optional device that displays an external appearance image when mounted is determined.

  Specifically, all of the unmounted optional devices determined to be addable in the determination are determined to be included in the appearance image. That is, an external appearance image in which optional devices are added to the current configuration as much as possible is displayed. However, for the option devices indicated with the exclusive information described above, since all the addable options may not be installed at the same time, only the unattached option devices that can be installed simultaneously are determined to be included.

  Selection of an unmounted option device that can be simultaneously mounted can be performed by various methods. For example, an unmounted option device that has the largest outer dimension at the time of mounting can be selected. In this way, when the optional device is added to the current configuration, the image of the maximum size is transmitted to the user, and information useful for the user considering the arrangement of the printer 2 is obtained. Can be provided. As another method, a method of selecting based on the order of the IDs of the optional devices described above can be used.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the first-stage paper cassette (1) and the second-stage paper cassette (m) can be added. However, as described above, since both cannot be installed at the same time, Selected and included in the appearance image. In the above-described method for maximizing the outer dimension, the two-stage paper cassette (m) is selected, and in the method based on the ID order, the first-stage paper cassette (l) is selected.

  In the above-described processing, all the optional devices that can be attached at the same time are selected to be displayed. However, it is not always necessary to select all the optional devices, and the optional devices to be displayed in the appearance image are based on a predetermined rule. You may make it select.

  Next, the option information display unit 124 acquires the appearance image data to be displayed and the image data to be displayed for each option device (step S11). As for the appearance image, the data of each appearance image is prepared (stored) in advance in the host computer 1 in accordance with the combination of the current configuration and the non-installed optional device to be displayed, and the option information display unit 124 is determined as described above. The image corresponding to the current configuration and the unmounted option to be displayed is read and acquired.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, if the optional devices expressed as the appearance image are only the first-stage paper cassette (l) and the second-stage paper cassette (m), both of them are not attached and are not installed. Appearance image that does not include the installed optional device, Appearance image that includes both of the two-stage paper cassettes (m) that are not installed as an optional device, and one-stage paper cassette that does not have both of them installed (l ) As an unmounted optional device, data for five images, an external image in which a single-stage paper cassette (l) is installed, and an external image in which a two-stage paper cassette (m) is installed are stored. And a corresponding image is obtained from them.

  The image image displayed for each option device is an icon of each option device displayed in the vicinity of the appearance image, and data of the icon is stored in the host computer 1 in advance. Here, the icon of each optional device basically indicates that it is attached and cannot be added, that it is attached and that can be added, and that it is not attached and the above is added There are four types, one representing the case where the printer cannot be installed, and one representing the case where the above addition is possible without being installed, and the data corresponding to them is the host computer for all the optional devices that can be installed in the printer 2. 1 is stored in a readable manner. However, there is an optional device that may hold two types of data or three types of data depending on the conditions of the exclusive information described above, and these may hold two types or three types of data.

  The option information display unit 124 determines whether each option device is mounted / not mounted, can be added, and cannot be added based on the determination of the unmounted option device by the option information acquisition unit 125 (S5, S8) and the determination of addition possible (S9). The status is grasped, and icon data representing the status is selected and acquired for each optional device.

  By this data acquisition (S11), display data for option information on the basic setting screen is prepared, and information to be displayed on other basic setting screens is also set in the received status information or in the host computer 1 in advance. When the display data is prepared from the existing information and the preparation for displaying the basic setting screen is completed, the user interface unit 121 displays the basic setting screen on the display device 14 based on the prepared data (step S12). Then, according to the acquired data, the appearance information and the image image (icon) of the option device are displayed in the basic setting screen by the option information display unit 124.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the displayed basic setting screen. FIG. 5A shows a basic setting screen displayed in the case shown in FIG. In this example, the only options that can be attached to the printer 2 are the memory 256MB, the HDD unit, the one-stage paper cassette, and the two-stage paper cassette.

  An image indicated by B in the figure is an external appearance image of the printer 2 when the above-described optional device is installed. The upper part of the image shows the current configuration, and the lower part (dotted line part) indicated by C shows a state when an unmounted optional device is mounted. Here, the case where the two-stage paper cassette (m) is selected as the optional device to be displayed is shown, and as is apparent from the drawing, the current configuration and the unmounted optional device are displayed in an identifiable manner.

  Further, the part indicated by A in the figure is the icon of the optional device. Here, icons of 256 MB memory, HDD unit, one-stage paper cassette, and two-stage paper cassette are displayed in order from the top. The displayed icon is based on the acquired data, but for an installed optional device, the icon is shown in dark color, and for an unmounted optional device, the icon is shown in light color. . For those that can be added, a raised icon (convex icon) is shown, and for those that cannot be added, a sunken icon (concave icon) is shown. As shown in FIG. 4, since the memory 256MB and the HDD unit are mounted and cannot be added, a dark icon is displayed. On the other hand, since the first-stage paper cassette and the second-stage paper cassette can be added without being mounted, an icon floating in a light color is displayed. In this way, on the basic setting screen, for all the optional devices that can be mounted on the printer 2, the image is displayed so that it can be identified whether it is mounted / not mounted and can be added / disabled.

  The image of each optional device expressed as an icon may be any image that allows the user to easily recognize the optional device. The image, abstract illustration, live-action image, and name character string that abstract the device. Or a combination of these. In addition, the attached / unattached identification is expressed by shading, and the addition / impossible identification is expressed by unevenness, but is not limited to this, and may be identified by color, shape, or a combination thereof. .

  Such display of the appearance image and the icon of the option device is performed based on the data of each image acquired by the option information display unit 124.

  FIG. 5B is a display example of an appearance image and an icon on the basic setting screen when the first-stage paper cassette (l) is selected as an unmounted optional device to be displayed in the example of FIG. Here, a dotted line portion indicated by D indicates a state when the one-stage paper cassette (l) is mounted, and this portion is different from the case in FIG.

  (C) of FIG. 5 is an example of the appearance image and icon display on the basic setting screen when the two-stage paper cassette (m) is mounted in the example of FIG. In this case, the first-stage paper cassette (l) is not installed, but as described above, it cannot be additionally installed when the second-stage paper cassette (m) is installed. Is not displayed in the appearance image, and therefore, only the current configuration is displayed for the sheet feeding device, as indicated by E in the figure. In addition, as for the icon of the optional device, both the first-stage paper cassette (l) and the second-stage paper cassette (m) cannot be additionally mounted. Therefore, as shown in F and G in the figure, icons indicating both of them. Is displayed as a sunken icon (concave icon).

  In this way, display processing of the basic setting screen in the host computer 1 is performed.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, only the optional device that appears as an appearance is represented in the appearance image. However, this appearance also applies to optional devices that are mounted inside the printer 2 and do not appear in the appearance, such as a memory and an HDD unit. It may be included in the image. For example, an image such as a symbol that makes an image of an optional device mounted inside, such as a memory or an HDD unit, can be displayed at a predetermined position of the appearance image. Also in this case, it is desirable to display in a distinguishable manner whether it is currently mounted or not mounted.

  In addition, the user may be able to select whether or not to display an unmounted optional device in the appearance image. In this case, such a selection operation can be performed on a detailed setting screen, for example. Further, the user may set a method for determining an optional device to be displayed in the above-described appearance image.

  Further, when the user designates (clicks) the icon of the option device, it is possible to switch an unmounted option device displayed in the appearance image. For example, in the state of the icon as shown in FIG. 5A (A in the figure), if the icon of the bottom two-stage paper cassette (m) is instructed (clicked), it is changed to C in the figure. If the icon of the second-stage first-stage paper cassette (l) from the bottom is designated (clicked), it is displayed as indicated by D in the figure.

  In the above embodiment, the icons of all option devices are displayed in the vicinity of the appearance image. However, only the icons of the option devices that are not installed may be displayed, or the icons may not be displayed. Also good.

  In the above embodiment, the appearance image of the printer 2 is displayed on the basic setting screen. However, the appearance image may be displayed on the detailed setting screen, and is displayed on both the basic setting screen and the detailed setting screen. There is no problem even if it is made.

  In the above embodiment, the basic setting screen is displayed on the host computer 1, but it may be displayed on the printer 2 side. In such a case, the controller of the printer 2 performs the same processing as the printer driver unit 120, and displays the same basic setting screen on the display of the operation panel 30 of the printer 2. In this case, it is preferable that the icon of the optional device and the image data of the appearance image are stored on the printer 2 side.

  In the above embodiment, the printer 2 is a laser printer, but may be a printer of another printing method.

  As described above, in the information providing apparatus according to the present embodiment, at least a mountable option device (unmounted option device) that is not mounted at that time is mounted on the target device. The appearance image is displayed in the user interface screen so that the current configuration including the currently installed option device and the uninstalled option device can be identified. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the outer shape of the unmounted optional device, including information on what the state will be when it is mounted, and the target device using the optional device can be efficiently It becomes easy to pursue usage, and as a result, it is possible to promote an increase in purchase opportunities for optional devices. Furthermore, displaying all the optional devices that can be mounted on the current configuration in the appearance image is effective for examining the arrangement of the target device.

  In addition, it is possible to provide easy-to-understand information for optional devices installed in the equipment by displaying the images according to the appearance image.

  In addition, as described above, the icons of the optional devices are displayed in the vicinity of the appearance image so as to be able to identify whether the devices are installed / not installed and can be added / impossible. .

  Furthermore, since the optional device is displayed as an image, it is easy for anyone to understand regardless of the language used, and there is no need to change the interface for that part for each country of use.

  In addition, since the appearance image including the unmounted option device is displayed on the basic setting screen and / or the detailed setting screen, information about the unmounted option device can be easily provided to the user.

  In the present embodiment, the target device to which the optional device is mounted is a printer, and since various types of optional devices can be mounted, it is suitable for application of the present invention. However, the target device is limited to the printer. The apparatus may be another apparatus having an optional device such as a copying machine.

  The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but covers the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

It is a hardware block diagram concerning the example of an embodiment of an information service device to which the present invention is applied. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a host computer 1 and a printer 2. FIG. It is the flowchart which illustrated about the procedure of the display process of a basic setting screen. It is the figure which illustrated the option information memorized. It is the figure which showed an example of the basic setting screen.

Explanation of symbols

  1 host computer, 2 printer, 11 CPU, 12 RAM, 13 HDD, 14 display device, 15 input device, 16 interface, 21 interface, 22 CPU, 23 RAM, 24 ROM, 25 HDD, 26 printer engine, 27 paper feeding device , 28 printing / fixing mechanism, 29 paper discharge device, 30 operation panel, 31 system bus, 100 operating system unit, 110 application unit, 120 printer driver unit, 121 user interface unit, 122 print setting unit, 123 option information setting unit, 124 option information display unit (information display unit), 125 option information acquisition unit (information acquisition unit), 126 option information storage unit, 127 print processing unit 200 option information management unit, 201 mounted already option information, 202 non-mounted option information, 210 a print control unit, 220 printing unit

Claims (9)

An information providing program for causing an information providing apparatus to execute information providing processing related to an optional device that can be attached to a target device,
The information on the mounting status of the optional device in the target device is acquired, and the current configuration of the target device including the mounted optional device, and the unmounted option that is the mounted optional device that is not mounted Determining a device;
Causing the information providing apparatus to execute a step of displaying an appearance image of the target device when the unmounted optional device is mounted to the user so that the current configuration and the unmounted optional device can be identified. Information providing program. In claim 1,
Further, the displayed external image is displayed together with an image representing the optional device mounted in the target device. In claim 1 or claim 2,
Furthermore, an image image representing each of the unmounted optional devices is displayed in the vicinity of the displayed appearance image. In claim 3,
An information providing program characterized in that an image image representing the installed optional device is displayed in the vicinity of the displayed external image so as to be distinguishable from the image image representing the unmounted optional device. In claim 3 or claim 4,
The image image representing the unmounted optional device is displayed so as to be identifiable as to whether or not the unmounted optional device can be mounted with respect to the current configuration. Offer program. In any one of Claims 1 to 5,
The information providing apparatus provides an interface screen for a user to perform a setting operation for the target device, and includes a screen configured from a basic setting screen and a detailed setting screen.
The information providing program, wherein the appearance image is displayed on the basic setting screen. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6,
The information providing program, wherein the target device is a printer, and the information providing device is a host device of the printer or the printer. An information providing device that provides information about an optional device that can be attached to a target device,
The information on the mounting status of the optional device in the target device is acquired, and the current configuration of the target device including the mounted optional device, and the unmounted option that is the mounted optional device that is not mounted Information acquisition means for determining a device;
Information providing means for displaying to the user an external image of the target device when the unmounted optional device is mounted so that the current configuration and the unmounted optional device can be identified apparatus. An information providing method in an information providing apparatus for providing information on an optional device that can be attached to a target device,
The information providing device acquires information on the mounting status of the optional device in the target device, and the current configuration of the target device including the mounted optional device, and the mountable option that is not mounted Determining an unmounted optional device that is a device;
The information providing apparatus includes a step of displaying an external appearance image of the target device when the unmounted optional device is mounted to the user so that the current configuration and the unmounted optional device can be identified. Information providing method.

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